Last Updated: April 14, 2020.
If you are concerned that one of your pet hamsters is sick or injured, let us help you diagnose the problem. By closely observing your pet’s behavior and physical appearance we can begin to narrow down the issue(s) of your sick hamster.
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Signs and Symptoms
Once you spot all the behaviors and symptoms that are out of the norm, go to the next section below to help determine the ailment that most closely resembles your hamster’s problem.
Within the following articles we provide additional information on specific problems including signs, causes and treatment approaches of the given ailment. Some of the treatment solutions we provide might include things you can do yourself or medications you can get from the pet store.
If you ever have to ask yourself the question, “is my hamster dying?” or if your hamster looks sick to the point that it needs immediate attention, we always recommend consulting a professional vet. A vet can conduct medical procedures and or prescribe medications and antibiotics.
External Resources
- Risks of Human Infection
- Are You Allergic?
- Zoonotic Disease
- Rabies Information
- LCMV viral infection
- Your Weakened Immune Systems
For diagnoses and treatment of specific illnesses & injuries, see:
What’s Wrong?
You can narrow it down by counting the symptoms listed next to each illness. It’s important to make a correct diagnosis so you can treat appropriately. If a treatment calls for a medication, you should be certain your hamster is suffering from said issue. If you have any strong doubts, consult a vet.
- Abscesses: lumps and bumps, possible redness or matted hair
- Acariasis Skin Disorder: loss or unkempt hair, scaly or dry skin
- Alopecia Hair Loss: loss of hair
- Anorexia: underweight, unable or not to eating
- Cuts and Scrapes: visible cuts, redness and bleeding
- Diarrhea: runny waste, wet bottom
- Demodex Mites: possible redness or patchy hair loss, constant rubbing
- Eye Problems: red, swollen, watery, gooey or unable to see eyes
- Hind Limb Problems: unable to use back legs. drags hind legs
- Impacted Cheek Pouches: swollen cheeks, unable to eat
- Intussusception: hunched over, trouble with or not going to the bathroom
- Kidney Disease: possible constant urination, blood in urine, swollen abdomen
- Lumps: physical lumps and bumps, redness, swelling, possible hair loss
- Malocculusion of Teeth: overgrown teeth, drooling, unable to eat, swelling
- Mastitis Mammary Infection: swollen or bluish mammary glands, possible blood discharge
- Obesity: overweight, lazy
- Overgrown Toenails: long toenails curling inward, difficulty walking, possible redness or swelling
- Rabies: (it’s rare) excitable, aggression, convulsions
- Respiratory Infections: sneezing, runny nose, issues breathing, lethargy, dull coat, shivering, hunched over
- Ringworm Fungus: patchy hair loss, dry, flaky, yellowish skin
- Sarcoptic Mange: itchy, scabby, crusty patchy skin
- Skin Sores: raw, red, open wounds with possible bleeding
- Wet Tail Disease: runny stools and a wet bottom
- Worms: anorexia, diarrhea, constipation, tiny worms in feces
General Health CareAnimal GuidesPet Hamster Care
Reviewed By: Tim Winter
Tim Winter has a strong affection for pets and wildlife. His years of experience caring for various types of pets has led him to share his knowledge with others on the best practices in pet care. Tim holds a Bachelor of Science from the University of Oregon School of Journalism and Communications.
Hi. We bought our daughter a hamster 4 hours ago. 3 hours ago the dog got it into his mouth. Ham played dead but popped up once realized she was safe. Now she’s shaking and breathing fast and hiding/sleeping but it’s 7pm! We’re very concerned. She doesn’t seem like a biter but now all of a sudden when I attempt to touch her to check her body temp, she very quickly jumps to bite me. I am so scared my daughter will awake to a dead hamster tomorrow. Also I have placed a heated blanket under her cage on the lowest temp. Any advice asap would be greatly appreciated. Thank you.
The best advice I can give is take it to a vet and don’t have a hamster if you aren’t able to keep it safe.
Hi Christine I’m Cameron I am 13 years old which I know is kind of young but I have had hamster since a very young age and know a lot about them anyways the fact that the dog put it in its mouth is not a good thing and I suggest not letting the dog near the hamster again and secondly the hamster probably is scared because they are very small prey animals and that is there only defense and I’m sure she is just tired from the trip just let her rest and please let me know how big the cage is most cages can be to small especially from the pet store if you could email me back about the cage the breed of hamster and if you need any more advice or help also hamster aren’t supposed to be messed with for at least a week after bringing them home so don’t mess with her or him for that period of time just feed and water it and leave it alone other than that everything is fine just contact me if you need anything else
I have a robo dwarf hamster who is a little over a year old. She has a 30 gallon tank all to herself. Over the past year, she’s been really tame towards me and would crawl into my hands whenever. But lately, she’s been really aggressive towards my hand (charging and biting), and I’m worried her sudden change in behavior is due to illness. Her activity level seems normal but her food bowl is fuller than usual (she usually stores the food I give her immediately). But she’s eating treats like normal. Does anyone know what I can do? Or whether this is just hormonal changes with age?
my hamster vomited blood all over himself. he survived critical condition but he suddenly vomited blood. pls help me!
Hi I have two robo dwarf hamsters one of of them started acting very aggressive and has been chasing my other hamster around a lot just today he bit my other hamsters bum until it bleed it now has a big wound and has not been eating at all he has been sleeping a lot and he is not very active. I’m very worried please help. They are both male and both 6 months old they were also born in the same family. These hamsters mean the world to me ? pls tell me what I should do!
Separate them as soon as possible or they may fight to the death
Do not keep hamsters together ever it is so bad for them like others have said they will fight to the death robos are independent hamsters and are very dominant please research more about the breed it will let you know everything you need to know please contact me if you need anything else my email id [email protected] thanks bye
My hamster has arm id a wierd twisted angle, and I’m wondering if he’s injured.
Hi i have a Russian dwarf hamster and have notice that she is sleeping out of her house. She seems to me slower, limp and eyes are closed. She also smell a little. Please this is my sons first pet and we’ve only have her for over two months. Can someone please tell me what I can do to treat her?
Take her to vet! Dont wait. These little guys go quickly because their matabilism (sp) is alot quicker than ours. See what the doctor says. But dont wait. I did, and mine died within the week
My daughter has a hamster, approximately 3 years old. We noticed last week that he suddenly started sleeping in a different area of its cage. Overnight it has become quite swollen. It still seems to be drinking, not sure about eating. Activity at night has been the same, although I’m not sure last night whether it ran on its hamster wheel like it usually does.
I know hamsters have a lifespan of roughly 3 years. Is this a sign its the end?
My Russian Hamster Tippy is extremely skinny him and his mate Chipmunk are in two different cages because Chipmunk will attack him and im afraid she will kill him if i put him in her cage. She is much larger than he is. More puffy. Tippy is very small and skinny. When Chipmunk was pregnant with her first litter that wasn’t successful. We noticed that Tippy started storing his own food in his cage as in preparation for the litter even though they were already separated from each other. He has never gotten bigger like she is. When I first got him he was a bit bigger than she was but not by much now hes not opening his eyes much i put my hands in the cage to collect him and he tried to nibble on my hand even though he had tons of food in his cage?
I really don’t want to lose him as we just had to relinquish our rights to our 11 year old Male cat Spooke and the Humane society just thought it was in their best interest to euthanize him.
I’m sorry to hear that but I suggest going to a vet after all they are professionally trained and know what to do its in his best interest to take him to the vet even if its nothing its better to be safe than sorry
My hamster just passed away, I’ve only had him for 5 months. the thing that I’ve noticed is he would constantly be chewing on the bars on his cage very aggressively. He would also run around his cage in a bunch of circles and then flip onto his back and do it over and over again. His back was always scrunched up, almost as if he had a hunch back. He did clean himself a lot and scratch himself but I just thought it was normal. He did not like to be held because he would always bite. Now he has passed away and I’m not sure if he was sick or something was wrong with him. I have a second hamster and I wanna make sure he’s okay too
What kind of hamster do you have and what is the size of its enclosure? Hamsters need a lot of space and toys to play with. Hamsters that bite their cages is a sign of boredom and the cage is to small
I have a winter white hamster and I just noticed this morning when I got up that’s she was asleep on her wheel. (She never falls asleep on there) I noticed her wake up and look at me and then fall back asleep. That’s very rare considering every time she sees me or hears me she starts climbing the cage wanting to be held. I proceeded with my day and took a shower and then when I came back in my room she was STILL on the wheel. This time she woke up and got off, but she stumbled and fell off of it. She falls a lot so I didn’t really think much of it. But she came over to me and climbed a rung or two and then fell AGAIN. I took her out and she is usually very active but she didn’t move at all and when she did, she would fall over. I think maybe she hurt her paw last night while running on her wheel? She was nursing one of her paws a lot and didn’t want to extend it too far
do You have a wire wheel if so get a plastic one wire wheels can get your hamsters limbs caught in the wire I recommend a plastic wheel also how old is your hamster if she is a older hamster her sights of slowing down could be natural.Your Hamster could be dehydrated. Most importantly SEEK VET CARE ASAP
Hi guys ,
I have a chinese dwarf hamster, he was so active running all over the place evem climbling the cage up and down. Now he is bearly moving and he sleeps for more then 16 hours. I tried to warm him up because I thought he got cold and he hybernates but he is not waking up. He breathes normal i guess because i cam see him moving . He does move like couple of inches form time to time. Any help , please ? I love that guy !! I cannot take him to vet due to language barriers due to the fact that i live in a small chinese city and they don’t speak english nor they are professional. Please help me :'(
I’ve had my hamster just over half a year and I can read her quite well. However, recently, I’ve been noticing that she seems really…I don’t know. I’m have no idea what’s wrong. She barely touches her water but I see her eating fine all the time. She’s started laying around in random open places, in a little daze with her eyes open. She’s so out of it but is responsive to sound when I open the cage. Does anyone know what’s up?
Do you have any update?? In the middle of the night I woke up and realized I didn’t hear my little guy running all crazy in his wheel like he normally does so I’ll went to check on him and he’s acting the same as what your describing. I’m really really worried about him.
Give your hamster benebac on clean wet fresh broccoli so it sticks to the veggie and some non flavored pedialyte through a dropper by hand at any sign of not drinking so he/she doesnt dehydrate they just may act normal in a couple of days and if not seek medical advice from a veterinarian who can look at them.
My hamster is drinking fine and is eating well but he does daze of frequently but replays to sound and also only does this at night. I came up with the diagnosis that he has mites but I’m not a vet.
I’ve had my Syrian hamster for about 9 months. When I purchased her they told me she was about 5 weeks old. She’s a pretty big hamster because I made the mistake of over feeding her. Within the past few days I’ve noticed that she’s lost a lot of weight and I can feel her ribs. When I picked her up previously I could feel she had a belly, but she’s thinner now. Is she sick? Has her time come? I don’t know what to do and I know if she dies my heart is going to ache because she’s been there for me through all the bad times.
My Chinese dwarf hamster is otherwise fine, but I can’t explain why he sometimes, maybe once or twice a day, will find a spot in his cage, an open spot with nothing covering him, and just kind of doze off there. He might be sitting, he might be curled, but he never actually seems to sleep. He keeps his eyes open and just breathes gently in that position. He’ll move if I get close, though. He eats and drinks normally and nothing else about him sticks out as odd or not right. I’m just worried about him – could it be he’s bored? He has a lot of toys for climbing and hiding spots, stuff to chew…but he chooses to just sit around. He’s not overweight either.
so my sisters hampster was fine yesterday. i vheacked on it a fewmins ago and it had drid blood on its paws and nose. it also seems to be breaking heavier. whats going on
I have a cute Russian dwarf who I got for my excited daughter for Christmas 2017. Fidget is only around 5 months old, but noticed tonight he is very weak, limp not walking or eating and his right cheek/pouch keeps throbbing. Has anyone experienced this?
Last night he was making ticking noises but having read similar stories on here and googling his symptoms, he could have impacted cheek pouches? Just seems lethargic and his back looked arched and stomach looks a bit sore.
I rang the vets as it was after hours they said it would be around £100 so I am hoping he will pull through the night until I take him to the vet in the morning. He seemed cold so I held him, gave him a bit of water which he sipped but not his usual friendly self. He also has been sleeping a lot but more than usual. Hope he will be ok as he is the sweetest hamster and is our 1st family pet.
My Syrian hamster has bleeding around the nose and mouth she won’t really move and is breathing heavy she seems to be in pain she is very old but I honestly don’t think it’s old age. She used to come up to the cage door when ever I opened it but now she just sits there breathing heavy and lifeless. Plz help
If your hamster has blood coming out of those areas, it is likely dying! That’s just the truth! See the vet ASAP!
It looks like my hamster has dry blood or something around her mouth and her nose was something withe in her nose. Thats why i was searching for something to help me but im not sure if she’s sick or not.
Plz hwlp me
Take it to the vet immediately that hamster may have some sort of cuts in the mouth or a clogged or runny nose but I’m not to familiar with something like that.
I have a female Syrian hamster and she’s been behaving fine since I got her a few months ago, but an hour ago I wen to go clean her cage and after I lifted up her igloo house she stretched out as usual but stayed in the stretched out position for several minutes and is barely breathing. She isn’t stretched out now but she’s all curled up in the corner of her cage still barely breathing.
what would be wrong if my baby hamster its about 4 weeks old and finally came to a conclusion that the baby hamster doesnt have balance and falls from side to side and when the baby does try to get balance it cant. can someone please tell me what i can do.
My robo dwarf hamster Buddy is not eating a lot and he is sleeping A LOT. I can’t really do anything because he HATES to be held. He had short, curved nails, he is hunching over and he is not looking too well… Please help!
Thats what my hamster does but he likes being held but he hasnt been eating but hes been sleeping alot more but he will come out and eat cheese and stuff i would try calling the vet about hin being hunched over if he has been like that for a while it might be a small wheel bending his you should get a bigger wheel for it if he is hunched over your wheel is probably bending his back hope this helped
Hello i have a Syrian hamster that was perfectly sociable, but now he is afraid and his head can’t be straight always turned. Any tips how can i deal with that?
Note : he is with female in the same cage and no injuries are caught .
Females and males are not supposed to be together unless u are breeding them they probably fought or they might of breed i had to separate my female and male hamster because he kept going at her i would recommend separating them and maybe getting him and her a bigger wheel the wheel maybe to small for him hope this helped if it gets worse call the vet if u are keeping them together make sure u check up on them making sure there is no other injuries in no way am i saying this is your fault but i would call the vet and ge him looked at
My hamster has matted hair not a lot but it’s there also also can’t stop scratching and it seems like its leg is broken what do I do
I have a russian dwarf hamster and she is shaking and kind of pivoting she isnt opening her eyes very much and not moving. She is very limp and has patches of yellow around her belly. Does anyone know what could be wrong with her. I got her in june last year (2016) and only just started holding her as she used to nibble everyone. We are so worried please help!!
WARNING!!!! These are signs of their time my as this is my post after this a wrapped her in a warm blanket which gave her some life then i put her to bed and she passed in her sleep of you see signs of this take them to a vet right away!! Please dont let your hamster die like mine!
I recently took my hamster camping for the night (didn’t want to leave him home alone). We returned home on Sunday, it is now Moday night.
My hamster has been acting as usual, pretty lazy, sleeps during the day and goes on his wheel all night. He doesn’t bite or run fast, he’s very calm.
A few minutes ago, I got up to see how he was doing. When I approached his cage, he got off his wheel and literally bouced off the walls of his cage moving faster than I have ever seen. He was running around everywhere. He stopped and looked at me a few times while standing on his two back legs, hands in the air and mouth wide open…
When I would try speaking to him (trying to calm him down) he would move his hands up and down and kept his mouth open as if he was talking to me (angrily). He was very jumpy and literally did a back flip when I put my hand on his cage. I don’t know what to do… I don’t know if he’s sick or is angry. Please help with the best of your knowledge. Thank you.
My hamster was running on his wheel pretty aggressively. Usually he’ll run for a couple of minutes and then go do something else before running again but this time he was running very quickly for an extended amount of time so we went to check on him and the second we got close to his cage he started going crazy. He was running all over his cages and through all his tubes. We’ve never seen him move that fast. Is this normal? I’ve had him for almost 4 months and this hasn’t happened before? Am I doing something wrong?
Our 3-month-old boy hamster is doing the same thing! Any idea if this is normal?
i have… well.. had a syrian hamster. i’m not sure how old she was when i got her but i had only had her for a little over 3 months (i loved her so much ugh). she was acting normal up until a week ago. she woke up mid-day and was screaming while she was up on her back legs lunging at her water bottle. she also started storing her food in her bathroom corner and started sleeping there. i had no clue what to do, and plus we didnt have the money to take her to a vet. this was a daily thing until yesterday. i found her sleeping next to her wheel breathing but she was totally limp. i picked her up and gave her some water in case she hadn’t drank anything yet. anyways, i was petting her and rubbing her side so she didn’t feel scared or cold. she kept sticking out her tongue and gasping for air. she’d have episodes where her legs would tense up and she’d wheeze while trying to breath. and then after a few minutes i saw her arm and legs really tense up and then she just… died. she stopped breathing and everything. i held her for more than an hour after she died just crying and petting her. i loved her so much :^( can anyone tell me what was wrong with her? i know she didn’t have wet tail and she didn’t have rabies. was she just old and scared? it was such a sudden thing i don’t know what was wrong with her.
Ive had mine for months and it seems the same thing is going on. I wont sleep tonight. Im so sad
The same thing just happened to my Hampster no idea why he was prefectly fine the night before, the whole morning I thought he was cold so I was holding him in a blanket and putting him anear warm stuff because I thought he was in shock but then he started wheezing and it got worse and worse right before we were supposed to leave to go to the vet appointment he passed, I have no idea what happened or what went wrong, thrrough more research it could’ve been a stroke he had while I was sleeping and this morning he was so weak then died because of it. It helps knowing it wasn’t anything I did because I loved my Hampster so much
Hi
I’ve had my dwarf hamster since 2015 he was adopted by myself, he developed a large lump on his abdomen and was drinking constantly this was diagnosed by the vet 2 weeks ago, with cancer and diabetes .
today he’s not usual self? Not responding to me, curled in s ball, eyes closed, cold, shaky unsteady.
I’m sure he’s now dying, I’ve cuddled him and put him his bed nice and warm, but he keeps coming out and going into the corner.
He’s making no noise, but I wouldn’t want him in pain? But the vets is miles away from me and darent risk the travel just in case it may stress him out.
The vet states he as out lived a normal dwarf hamster by a good year as he was 8 months old when I adopted him, he’s more my pet than my daughters and I’m crying as I love the little guy, miss him in his ball everyday
🙁
Feel so sad as
I just lost mine yesterday morning only had her for two months. I found her hunched over coming out of her little house, still warm kind cold in tummy area… tried warming her w breath, once n while she would twitch, then all kinds of clear fluid came out, i thought she had j died… then bit later some movemenrs, took her to a vet, they said she is struggling to breath, shes suffering so i put her down. She was sooo healthy vibrant, eating sleeping well…. what happened to my Lucy?? I miss her horribly!
My hamster keep lying on one side and it move rarely, but it’s eyes still open, breathing. Why? What can I do?
It could be going into a type of hibernation or it could be sick
I think my hamster is dying… he is 2.5 yrs old. This morning he was just laying out under his water bottle(not normal for him) his back legs were completly paralized and he had a piece of poop stuck in his bum. His lower half is now turning dark in color, scrotum is swollen. Eyes crusted shut, nose dry, and shallow breathing. I have him wrapped in a towel just holding him so he doesnt die alone. Has anyone else had this happen? He was fine yesterday.
Yes, I’ve had hamster that has had similar symptoms before she passed. She had crusted eyes that were shut. This happened when she started getting older. Her abdomen and stomach area was swollen. She ate normally and it swelled abnormally fast for her to be obese. Through her fur I saw that her skin appeared darker. For the last few days she didn’t move. Since she was nocturnal (slept during the day and was awake at night) I thought she was just sleeping, but I did notice that where she was sleeping wasn’t in here normal sleeping spot. I ignored and thought I was just paranoid. One day I decided to try and wake her up but she didn’t move. She was still alive but paralyzed. She passed away later that night in a small bed my family and I had made her.
did he pass? I’m so worried. I’m glad you made him feel safe if he did. <3
Life spam for hamsters is 2 or 3 years, depending on the breed you have. So, yours probably died because it was old.
My robo hamster has been checking ng his lower back area. His skin is visible from the lack of hair and he has red scabs from where he has bled from his sores. Does anyone know what this is or what I should do to help him and should I take him to a vet or something.
I meant that he has been chewing on his lower back
We are having the same issue with our hamster 🙁 he even feels like he has a fever now.
My hamster has a small lump in its leg a small bald patch and dried blood on its bum
My hamster had symptoms like that and then it started to weaze by the next day it was bouncing around like normal. I think my hamster was about 2 when it started but it ended up living to 2 1/2.
My hamster had a little lump but it had cancer
Hello, my hamster Bilbo had similar worrying symptoms by it had cancer. We did not no that until it died though. Take a hamster to the vet.
My Syrian Hamster was fine yesterday but today his face appears wet/infected in his jaw area. His behavior has changed – he is running in circles throughout his cage but doesn’t want to come out. All vets closed now – any thoughts.
my Syrian hamster is limping. She was fine until she started running around and she wasn’t putting pressure on her left back leg. I’m just concerned as she might be in pain. Does anyone now what it is
Hi
My hamster somehow got out of her cage and was out all day and night and we have now found her and she has something stuck in her back between her shoulders, we can’t see what it is but it’s definitely embedded in there, she definitely fell from a height from her cage to the floor
She has now been biting me me which she has never done,
You should probably take your hamster to the vet.
Hi I have a dwarf hamster and she is about 5 months old. She kept on squeaking or sneezing, or sounds which seems like she has a cold. She’s still eating and does her usual routine, but I notice that she lost some weight. Help I don’t know if she’s in pain or if her illness is serious.
hi my hamster turned one back in november, since then he’s been getting up throughout the day to use the toilet, have a drink or something to eat several times a day during hours where he has always been asleep. I’ve noticed he may be peeing a bit more often, and spends a few minutes sat there after he has finished his business. his usual activities are still being carried out and he’s eating as normal, possibly drinking more.
is this something to worry about? its been a lot of years since of kept hamsters. he’s a syrian semi-long haired variety.
Hi I have a 2 year okd syberan hamster that has koss all her hair is getting very fat and has black sores all over her what shoukd I do?
Hi my name is brandon,
i got a syrain Hamster yesterday and its butt look like its sticking out what should i do
Could be a prolapse bowel
Check with a vet urgently
I have this one gerbil (i used to have two, the other passed away about two months ago.) and she is around 2 years old. I know that gerbils tend to get depressed after a cage-mate passes but she hasn’t seemed depressed. She runs on her wheel every night, chews on the things I give her, eats and drinks well(she could even be considered a little chubby), and I make sure to socialize with her every day and clean her cage out freauently but as of late, she has gotten sluggish and her fur has been all ruffled up even though she has a sand bath. She has also been itching her sides a lot (i have checked for mites and there are none). She has these half-closed, tired looking eyes. She is old for a gerbil and I know that she may pass soon but I want to keep her with me as long as I can. I don’t think that she is sick because she doesn’t seem to have any symptoms but if there is anything I could do to help her or any red flags you see, please tell me, I would really like to know. I’m starting to get scared because I really love her.
If you got a male it may just be its balls…. If a female definetly take to vet!!
What gender is your hamster? That is normal with boy Syrians its his balls, if its a girl I suggest you go to the vet.
Its fine, thats means your hamster is just hot- and as they get older there butt gets bigger i looked it up with my hamster and its competently normal
Hi,
My hamster hurt his mouth and probably his tooth. We found him couple of days ago he had bitten his rail cage and had gotten his mouth & teeth stuck between the rails. We thought he was fine but now he won’t eat properly. I have to give him soft food but he’s sort of fussy and wont eat some of the food I give him. What sort of food is best to give him right now? And what can I do to make him better? He looks like he has lost a little weight as well. I’m a little worried
Hello Alice! I have had issues in the past with my hamsters getting sick or hurt and not eating well. From my personal experience, your hamster wont mind you feeding it like a baby. To do this: take a syringe and fill it with juice from crushed grapes.(You use crushed grapes because many fruits can be too harsh for your hamster to drink the juice from them) Once you have the syringe, hold your hamster in the palm of your hand. Make sure they feel comfortable before you try to feed them(pet them, hold them for awhile, talk to them). Then, wet the outside of their mouth with some of the juice. This will stimulate the hamster to like its lips and get used to the taste of the grape juice. After they do this a few times, gently syringe the juice into their mouth in amounts that they can handle. If you feed your hamster like this every few hours, they should be fine in no time.
I have a winter white hamster and she has always been a little over weight but is super friendly and a little over a year old. However this morning I noticed a wet patch of hair between her eyes. Her fur is always slicked back so it was easy to noticed. I was wondering if something is wrong or if I’m just being paranoid because there is no change in behavior at all.
The eye that is is more close to the fur is starting to close and my hamster is starting to vibrate constantly. Please help her.
My hamster either peed or pooped this clear blob with red in the middle and for about two minutes straight his left eye was completely shut I’m scared what do I do?
My hamster is really sick, but I don’t know what it is and I want to know if anyone can help. My hamster has a hard time moving, like she moves really slowly and she doesn’t respond to anything I do. Usually she would come running out from her hiding spot when I call her name. Her eyes are completely shut and whenever she does walk, she wobbles a lot almost as if someone is shaking her cage. She won’t eat or drink a thing. She hasn’t used the bathroom and she always pauses for about a minute when she’s walking around her cage. She just lies there and sometimes her head will fall and land in the fluff in her cage. Then about a minute later, she’ll slowly get up. Then she let me pet her and pick her up. She won’t even let me touch her let alone stroke her. At the end of the day, all she could do was breath and her paws and tail were cold and white but I know she’s still alive. Can someone please help! I don’t think there’s any hope in saving her, but I want to know what’s wrong with her.
I have the same thing happening with my russian exept i have 2 and one is sick the other wont even let me near the sick one
I have the same problem he’s a teddy bear hamster all he does is sleep he always falls over them gets back up and keeps falling on the way back to his house he used to run all around and love his little yoges now he’s really skinney one of his eyes is closed and swollen red and he will barely eat is this a sighn that he’s dying should I take him to the vet wat should I do
+Ruby your hamster might just be getting old most hamsters only live to be around 1 or 2
My hamster is having the same problem 🙁 all she does is sleep and she won’t wake up. I know she’s still alive because she’s breathing rapidly. However, I just got her a few days ago. I’m hoping she’s only a little sick and it isn’t something too serious. I took her to the vet about an hour ago and I’ll find out if she’s ok tomorrow. I’ll let you know when I find out.
My hamster slept at the vet overnight. In the morning they checked on her and called me and said that she was barely alive. However, they never were able to find out what was wrong with her 🙁
I have a Siberian hamster, yesterday my sister buy a Syrian hamester and put them together.
My siberian hamster got attacked and had injury and he bleeded little.
Now he is breathing weirdly and does not eat or move.
Please helppp !!!!!
i know this was posted back in december but is your hamster doing any better? you’re not supposed to put another hamster in the same cage as a syrian. Syrian hamster get aggressive when it comes to cage mates
Sometime when a boy and boy hamster go in the same cage the other one try’s to be the boss and sometime it kills the other one and same with the girls it happened with me one time you have to feed him/her yourself
I own a long haired syrian hamster who is about 2-3 months old. I live in university accommodation which does not allow pets, so today I have had to hide her cage in my wardrobe due to an inspection. I put it in there at 9am and I returned at 1:30pm to find that she has pushed all the sawdust into one corner of the cage in a huge pile. She has even taken the bedding out of her box and put it there. She is laying curled up on top of the pile but she did move about the cage to sniff me. Her food bowl is also overturned. Seeing as it is the daytime I didn’t think she would react so badly to being put in the dark as she naturally sleeps in the morning/early afternoon. She has never done anything like this before and I’m very worried. Now that I’m home I am leaving the wardrobe door open but the inspectors have not yet come so I can’t take her whole cage out yet unfortunately. Is there any advice you can give me about this behaviour?
OH MY GOD PLEASE SOMEONE HELP. My Syrian Hamster Mini-moo, formerly Minsley, has been acting so strange as of late. Usually at around 4am she does a full sesh of cardio on her wheel, last week she was fine and could bench press around 20kg, but now she doesn’t ever want to come to the gym with me. This has been extremely inconvenient as I have no one to spot me whilst I am exercising, but she really hasn’t looked up to it. It is breaking my heart.
I have given her her favourite protein shake (almond) and even added extra mealworms for protein, last week she was looking dench. Now. Shell of the hamster she used to be. Her eyes are always looking glazed and half awake, and she has been listening to more bob marly, even though she is the whitest hamster I have ever seen. Is my hamster addicted to Marijuana? Please tell me my baby isn’t addicted to drugs. I will do anything.
Please can someone recommend a good therapist or rehabilitation facility, I want my hamster to be a functioning member of society again, it is killing me to see her like this. Please do not use my post to shout over my very obvious problem. Thanks and please post if you have noticed similar activity in your hamsters behaviour.
For all I know, almonds is a big NO for them, as it contains Cyanic Acid. You may want to search for Acceptable Hamster Food List.
+Ruby your hamster might just be getting old most hamsters only live to be around 1 or 2
It’s not nice to make fun of people with genuine concerns about their beloved pets. Shame on you!! Remember, Karma sucks 〰️
It’s normal for a hamster to do that. My Syrian hamster did exact the same thing even with the food bowl. i even got her a hamster house but she still preferred the pile of bedding! They just like to burrow and scavenge for their food. Sadly, my syrian hamster actually died yesterday night but i hope yours is doing fine
My russian hampster is borrowing in the ground not moving or coming up what shall I do
My hamster has had bleedings in his wee and it is not the first time can anyone tell me what may be wrong ? This is also not the first time he has had blood in wee its the 2nd .
Are you sure it’s blood? Hamster urine can be milky white, but sometimes has an orange tint to it.
You should try holding him-her he close in both hands right under your chin
My hamster, Genevieve, seems to have gotten really fat over the past couple days. She is a Winter White. Her behavior hasn’t changed from the usual except she has been sleeping on top of her bedding(she normally burrows underneath). I’ve tried to figure out why she is so fat all of the sudden. She lives alone in the sams cage we had for our last hamster who was a male. Can she get pregnant from using the same wheel he used? She is very sweet and I don’t want to lose her after having her a year. Please help!
If your filling the food bowl to the top, maybe try feeding lots less, just not so much less that it gets underfed.
Nevermind. She just passed away this evening
I had three hamsters (out of six) die and I finally figured out what happened to them. My hamsters died because of the water they were drinking. I thought they were drinking good water but I noticed the water bottles had a sediment left behind by the water. I am now only putting store bought filtered water in their water bottles. I am hoping the other 3 will make it. The three that died acted with a lot of the symptoms that others have described. They were fine one day and then the next day they were sluggish and unresponsive. They died within a day after that. I am not sure how long it took over all for the water to kill them because I don’t know when it was I filled the water bottles with the unhealthy water. I hope this helps others who might have the same problem.
I need help i think my hamster is dieing
Hi my female hamster is sleeping a lot more than she used to she is eating a lot and I dont k ow what to do she does not drink a lot if water mabey in love 1 week it is 3/4 of the way gone I’m really sacred she likes to cover herself in bedding and she stuffs bedding in her Cheek’s help?
Hi I wonder if anyone has advice for my little hamster please. He is approx 1 year and 4 months old. Always been very happy friendly and active, a textbook hamster. He has a healthy lifestyle and clean cage and lots of attention. We went away for one night this weekend from 11am until 5pm the following day. When I got back He was just lying on the floor of his cage, lethargic. I cuddled him and fed him water and some veg. He usually nests and is completely covered when sleeping. I left him enough food and water not too much. Since then he creeps out only if I wake him and is not himself nor awake at night playing. He curls up in a corner or lies on the floor. Really not his usual self 🙁 no other visible sign of illness or infection but he won’t drink his water from the bottle only from the floor if I squeeze it out (it’s clean there) his teeth are short and eyes fine. He just seems exhausted and old.
Take him to the vet
Do u think I should do that to my hamster ?
Bring him to the place where you got him. If you got him from a breeder or some place very far away, bring him to some place closer to you, like Petco or Petsmart. They usually recommend for you to bring them to them if they start showing signs of illness. Hope this helped 🙂 (By the way, I am a beginning hamster owner, as I got my juvenile female dwarf hamster named Willow, yesterday. But I did loads of research lasting for 5 years until I finally got my hamster.)
My hamster is not the hyper kind of hamster but lately he’s being very lazy. He’s barely moving around and when I tried to pick him up he bit me real hard, to the point in which I was bleeding. He also has a little lump in one of his toes. Idk what’s wrong with him but he’s 1 year and 7 months old. Any idea??
Take him to the vet
Are you a vet?
I have dwarf hamsters, female and a male. I check them pretty often being I have female and male housed together. Normally they curl up together and sleep. I checked the female today and noticed something strange and am not sure what it means. Her vaginal area looks maybe larger, distorted, red and damp like, appears a piece or two of poop is stuck to her. I also no longer see her tail. Does it mean my male bred with her or, is she sick?
Take her to vet
My hamster was normally pretty calm but the past couple of days he got really hyper and was acting crazy, trying to chew out of his cage and freaking out & he has never acted that way before & then today he died & im not sure how or why?
That’s really sad??
This same thing happened to 2 of our 3 hamsters within 2 days of each other. We have no idea why and would love to know if we need to change something so that it won’t happen to the 3rd one.
Last night I just checked on my hamster and he was very very weak and droopy. Just 4 days ago I checked on him and he was totally fine and normal. I do check on him daily but I didn’t check on him last last night, and last last night because I didn’t want to annoy him. But I did check on his breathing and it was fine last last last night. When I first noticed him like this I picked him up and noticed that his near his private areas and his stomach it had gotten bigger he was cold and he was very droopy. He had also gotten skinnier. But after maybe 10 min I warmed him up but then he started to sweat. He also tried to walk around in my hands but he was wobbling around and he really struggled. I placed him inside his cage and his head was shaking very badly so I picked him back up and calmed him down. When he walks in his cage he’ll stop and start to droop down, then he’ll get back up and start walking. He’s not eating or drinking. I tried to feed him apple sauce (which he loves) and he doesn’t even seem to be notice it. When I hold him I could feel his teeth against my hand I don’t know why. But whats also weird is his breathing is fine (I think) PLEASE HELP ME I’M DESPERATE FOR ANSWERS AND HELP!!
the same thing happened to my hamster. a week ago she was fine and then a couple of days went by and everytime i touched her she was cold and she didnt eat she knocked hee food over and left. but yesterday i got her and was warming her up and then she started opening and closing her mouth and got weak to the point where she just layed there and i could pick up her leg and it dropped and then she just died… im 15.. and watched my hamster die in my hand and it was horrible. i had her for three years…
Omg no the same thing is happening to my mastier i just got him im freaking out cuz i already feel in love with him if he dies imma be so sad
I feel so bad for u?
Hamsters usually only live on average for 2 years, if you had yours for 3 years you are very, very lucky.
Hi help me please. .my hamster getting weak. ..there’s some bubble lumps all over the body…and some discharge form the lumps. ..Thank you
Take him to the vet
We have a male long haired hamster, since June normally he is very active and rode his wheel for hours, now all he does is curl up and burrows in his bedding. My daughter said you can feel his whole spine now, he is eating some and drinking water. Very worried.
My Hamster last night looked really bad, she was breathing heavy wouldn’t eat or drink and had bloody stool. But today she is eating and drinking and is still breathing heavy and I haven’t seen any new bloody stool, can anyone tell me what’s happening?
I have a Syrian black bear hamster and he hasn’t been active like he used to he would always run around his hamster wheel and try to climb on top of the hamster wheel he would just have the fun of its life but now I’ve only had him for a month or two and now he has been very lazy and sleeping all day and all night he wakes up but it’s the middle of summer I need to know what’s wrong with him I hope he’s not going to die because my child loves him
I’m curious how it turned out. Our Bear Hamster is doing the same thing. Sleeping almost all the time.
if you have advice that will help
this is nothing major or big or anything
but i wanted to ask
my hamster has a ruffled belly i guess you could say.
um he is missing hair on his belly.
and by the way i have 2 hamsters living in this tank
and i kinda think they got into a fight or something
hes not injured that’s why i said this is nothing major
or i think the other 1 plucked hair off of him and im pretty sure he either cleans him or plucks his hair
he is smaller then the other 1 they r not tame and the 1 that is ill is suddenly tame
the 1 that is not tame tries to bite me im working on taming them.
this happened a couple days ago and he started getting smaller and i picked him up and i saw his belly
and i told my mom and he is doing alright
Do not keep two hammies in the same cage, it’s never a good idea.. Even if they are from the same litter! Things can happen.
I gotmy hamster about amonth ago an she hasnt been playing as much as my sisters hamster. Shesleeps all day an mostly throught the night she also keeps sneezing i changed her bedding but its still going on shes a fancy black bear syrian.
My hamster is 2 yrs old, and he was fine until today, today he is weak, and just keep tourning around, slowly, and he dont eat and drink much, and when I pich him up he was just lying in my hand and he was shaking, what is wrong with him??
I have a female syrain hamster. She is about 2 years old and she has always been a little bigger than my other hmasters but last night I noticed her acting different and this morning I wake up and she is sleeping sprawled out and breathing really heavy and shaking really bad. I can tell she is sick, she comes to her door of the cage when I call her but her head hangs and she looks like she can’t keep her eyes open she is b really slow and skiddish. I can’t take her the vet until tuesday. What should I do??? Home remedies for antibiotics? ??
My male dwarf hamsters private area is red and swollen he won’t stop licking it and he keeps laying on it in a spot with no fluff or wood chips I don’t want him to die bit I think it’s going to happen I need to know what it is pls someone help me fast tell me please…?
I’m so sorry about your hamster. My guess, though I am not a vet, is that he has some sort of rash/infection. I am not sure about the best way to treat it professionally, but the best thing to do is to change out his bedding more often than you normally do. It probably will be best if you clean out his pooping area at least once a day. I know, it is tedious, but it is the best thing that you can do for your hamster. I would also recommend you doing a fully clan of your hamster cage. Disinfect the entire thing. Get crazy with the disinfectant.
Also, wash your hamster. I don’t mean put him in a bowl of water, but wash him best you can with the instructions that are coming up.
Get a toothbrush wet and brush him down the best that you can. Make sure to be careful of any sore spots. Afterwards, put him in a towel and rub him dry.!Then brush him off again with a dry toothbrush.
I am so sorry about your hamster. I hope this helps!
Hi I have a syrian hamster (female) and she has a little bit of wetness on her bottom and seems very weak and frail. She doesn’t limp but slowy walks around as if she is super tired or weak. And has a little bit of food/”debris” on the sides of her mouth. And when I hold her she is very frail and a tad bit skinny. Though i feed her every day! Please help me out!
Help me please! Okay so I have a syrian hamster (Female). So lately my hamster has a wet bottom,some food/”debris” on the side of her mouth and doesn’t move from one specific spot at all. She seems really weak and frail because she is very skinny. Though I give her plenty of food everyday! She never uses her wheel anymore! She doesn’t limp around she sort of slowly moves around like she weak. Help me please!
please help. my hamster is barely moving and is having labored breathing. she also can barely keep her eyes open. i just noticed it tonight she was fine yesterday. the vet it closed right now so i dont know what to do. she wont eat or drink please help
My hamster is like that too. I am going to bring him to the vet in the morning
Hi I am 12 and I have a Chinese dwarf hamster. He hasn’t been eating, drinking or running in his wheel. His fur is ruffled and he doesn’t sleep anymore. He is almost or over 2 years old. He hasn’t been doing his business anymore. Can someone plz help me plz!!!!!!!
Sorry this is so late but he died not long after I wrote this, but I’m still confused cause when we first got him, I realized that he had a grey spot in his eye and when he died, that eye became swollen and looked as if it was about to burst out of his head! And I’m just wondering if it’s normal that when your hamster dies, they smell bad cause mine had a fowl smell when he died. So if you could give me any explanation for this, it would be very helpful.?
Hi
We have a female Chinese dwarf hamster. About a 18m old. Some of my da nighters friends came over and handled it and possibly squeezed her too tight. We have now noticed a white string (about an inch long) coming from her never regions.
Any ideas what this is? What we do?
Please help!!!
It could be that the hamster’s lower intestine prolapsed. It is a serious condition if that is the case. A vet might be able to help with that.
ig you squeez them too tight there intestines could laver so it could be her intestines or puss from and internal injury
My hamster stomach area is swllen a bit and its all bluish purple which looks like a blood build up, also blood is constantly coming out of her bum. Please help with any information as to what this may be or how to treat it? 🙁
I have the same problem and i din’t know what to do and i am very scared! Please someone help!
We have 2 female sister Chinese Dwarf hamsters. They were fighting and one got bit or scratched on its foot. I cleaned up the wound bc there was blood and separated them. She appears okay but restless. How do I know if she’s in pain? And should I permanently keep them separated? This is not the 1st time they’ve fought.
Keep them separated. Most hamsters are solitary. If they have fought before, they will keep doing it. Let them each have their own cage and they will be happy. 🙂
Keep them separated, otherwise they will continue to fight. They will be much happier living alone, each in their own cage.
Hi so I need help I was putting my hamsters tubes on her cage and she happen to be in the way and he toe is bleeding and its swollen but gone down a bit but it’s red and purple.. idk what to do she looks fine running around and eating but I’m worried if something bad can happen to her or die? Help please!
My hamster is very old, coming to 3 soon and I dont know how I can make her life any more comfortable. She has problems walking (hind legs not working) cannot eat while using her hands (I hold her body while she eats from my hand which usually consists of soft food now) and everytime she eats she ‘spazz’ or lift her head up suddenly like as if she has problems swallowing?? She is also blind in one eye, I reconstructed her cage so she can get around easier etc. She’s so old but still wants to ride on her wheel HAHAH. Is there anything else I can do that can ease her pain?
I would bring her to the vet. They may say it’s time to let go, but they are really good at helping, and it’s certainly better than your hamster suffering for a long time without treatment.
Yukine my Winter White Russian Dwarf Hamster fell down from 3ft and again from 3cm high. And she haves a hurt paw. And she cant pick up her food so i hand feed her and i warm her up a bit for her healig process. Is there anything else i need to do (Because i cant pat for a vet)
My hamster is breathing but still and now and again goes to sleep but then opens his eyes and makes very odd noises
My Syrian hamster ash sometimes makes strange noises but what I’m concerned about is why every night at around 10 pm I go to my room and sit in my bed to play on my phone I’ve had him for a week and he started looking at me then at my wall then back at my for probably 5 minutes is he alright or is he seeing something I’m not or is he just insane
how can you tell two different hamsters can mates if one of them has a long long tail and the other one has a short tail will they fight or no because me and my husband have one different hamster and the other one has a short tail and the first one has a long long long tailed how can will they fight can you put up on Google so can you text it to me becauseare fighting
OUR HAMSTER ,IF PUT NEAR A WALL WOULD BITE THE BARS ALL NIGHT…ONE DAY WE WERE DOING SOMETHING AND NEEDED TO PUT HER SOMEWHERE ELSE SO WE SAT HER NEAR THE CHRISTMAS TREE …SHE WENT NUTS..BITING THE BARS LIKE SHE WENT CRAZY…WE FIGURED OUT THAT WHEN NEAR A WALL WHERE THERE IS ELECTRIC IN THE WALL SHE BECAME SCARED TO DEATH…WE THINK SHE CAN HEAR THE POWER IN THE WIRES…WE MOVED HER TO THE DINNING ROOM TABLE AWAY FROM ANY LIGHTS AND FOR TWO YEARS SHE WAS FINE…ONLY WHEN SHE WAS DYING SHE BIT THE BARS A LOT FOR THE LAST WEEK…MOVE YOUR HAMSTER AWAY FROM THE WALLS..AND ANY LIGHTS…..GOOD LUCK
Your hamster may be hibernating! Is his cage nice and warm?
Sorry, this may be a little late.
Help! My little darling got stuck in a wooden toy with holes. She was only stuck for a couple of seconds, but her eye is closed and she breathes clicking and squeaking. My vet is closed tomorrow and on the phone he couldn’t really tell me much. I don’t want to lose her…
Having the same problems. Did you find out anything? What happened with yours?
My hamster is currently doin the same at this very moment and we have no clue what’s goin on. Do you have any answers???
My hamster chip has lately been found very cold, squeaks when you try and pick her up and is sometimes in a lot of pain, doesn’t eat or drink for a couple days at a time and has had a wet bottom with a little blood on her butt. She also has had some goop in her eyes. I’m a little worried that her life might be coming to an end. What would you say she has? RASAP
I’d try changing her diet, maybe adding some rice.
Maybe she has too much liquid in her food, or either she’s sick and then you need your vet…
Hi, I have a teddy bear hamster. She’s very active always wanting to get out of her cage. I noticed last night she wasn’t feeling up to running around. She’s making noises when she sleeps. She tries to run in her wheel, but she seems weak and her back legs seems like they hurt for her to walk. What can I do for her?
What was the out come of your hampy mine is doing same and iv tried everything she’s now not moving and is making weird noises I don’t wanna loose her
Could be wet tail illness maybe? Sounds like it needs vet asap they give antibiotics for wet tail if caught early, so the man in shop told me when I bought our hamster
my 3 weeks old hamster fell from the first floor and today is his second day of his injury and he just rolls and can’t stand on his feet and he can barely open his eyes and he haven’t ate and his mother doesn’t feed him and I think his back is not straight ,am desperate I need help ASAP
Hey im having a problem to i was walking and dropped my 10month old hamster and he didnt move for a minute and then did so i put him on the ground to see if he was ok and he just randomly peed and wouldnt clean himself after.
have you found out yet this is very late but if his mother wont feed him than he is sick cause basically moms can detect illness in there young
Hi, I have a roborovski hamster, and when I checked on him today, he’s barely opening his eyes, sleeping a lot, limps, and is getting very boney. He doesn’t have wet tail, but I’m really concerned he is sick.
Hi your hamster might have obesity. Is he overstate?
I have a Russian dwarf and recently she/he is making noises, she is eating drinking etc but is becoming more and more frequent is it anything to worry about?
On Saturday, my hamster wasn’t eating. She would only drink water for the next few days. But yesterday, I tried to feed her applesauce baby food (was recommended to do). But it got all over her fur and dried, making her fur turn black. Now she’s extremely weak, and can barely walk. Her fur is in very bad shape. Her breathing rate has decreased greatly. Besides that, she smells weird. We all think she is going to die. What should I do?
I’m hoping for some help, or at least reassurance that Chibi, my Siberian dwarf will be ok.
Today while cleaning her cage, she was in the wooden box I keep her in as I’m cleaning.
I must have taken my eyes off her for no more than 5 minutes. When I looked at her, her head seemed to be missing and she was twitching.
In a panic I saw she had managed to get her head through the tiniest hole and as she had tried to pull herself out of it, the flimsy wood had moved to tighten on her. She was stuck, and obviously the more she struggled the more tight it got.
I rushed to my dad, who pulled the box apart. chibi was lifeless. On her back and twitching. It didn’t look like she was breathing, but my dad said he could feel her heart beating still. He held her in his hand and massaged her tummy area, expecting her to pass soon.
After about 20 minuets of twitching and randomly opening and closing her eyes, she rolled over and started to move slowly. At first it looked like one of her legs wasn’t working, as she was lopsided and kept rolling over, but this passed.
Now she seems to be okay, she isn’t moving very fast compared to usual. But she just ate and drank, and is now in her bed. I think sleeping, but I don’t want to disturb her.
My dad says she still will likely pass, due to shock. Will that happen? And is there anything else I can do to help her?
I love my Chibi. Has anyone experienced this kind of event before, and what was the outcome?
Jodie.
How is you hamster doing? Sorry for the late reply.
hi sorry to post here I have a Russian dwarf and recently she/he is making noises, she is eating drinking etc but is becoming more and more frequent is it anything to worry about?
Hi my hamster bailey is a Chinese Syrian I think he eats and drinks regularly sleeps on a regular basis but underneath his tail looks a bit wet and he always has a poop halfway out his but he also walks kinda strange he seems to take large steps should I be worried
You can actually give her some time and let her relax until she gets out of shock
My hamster seems good and eating/drinking regularly he is 8 weeks old at the most but there always seems to be poop halfway out of his but and his tail looks wet underneath should I be worried?
i thought you where going to say your hamster pulled its own head off i was like omg
Hi, I have a male teddy bear hamster, he is almost 2 (in June). I just noticed a very bad sewage odor coming from his water container that I just refilled last night. I took him out and noticed to nickel sized black spots on him. What would cause this to happen???
How is your hamster doing? I would thoroughly clean the cage and consult a vet. See this post on cleaning a cage.
My hamster escaped his cage the other night and my cat got a hold of him. He didn’t kill him but his fur is all wet so I know my cat had him in his mouth. Its been almost two days since this has happened. He is breathing really fast and his nose or mouth is making a clicking noise. I just noticed today his eyes are gunky and i don’t think he’s done much, if any, eating or drinking. When I take him out of the cage he seems okay and walks around and crawls on me. But he has been sleeping an awful lot. I’m really nervous he’s sick or dying.
If he is walking fine with no signs of an injury, that certainly is good. It’s hard to tell but your hamster could have sustained internal injuries from the cat. Clearly he is stressed from the ordeal and probably needs time to recover. If these symptoms don’t get better soon, you should consult a vet. You need to make sure he continues to drink water at minimum even if that means hand feeding him with an eyedropper.
Thank you so much! He has been sleeping all day. I take him out and wrap him in a flannel to cuddle close because I’m scared he might pass away 🙁 I bought an eye dropper and tried giving him some water but I think he just pushes it away and I’m not sure if he gets any in his mouth. His face is looking hallow and his eyes are gunky and hard to open. My vet doesn’t open until Monday but should I bring him there on Monday you think?
how is your hamster doing? Sorry for the late response.
My hamster Bailey is about 8 weeks old at the most. We only have him about a week now and i noticed his tail appears wet and there is a lump of poop in his but is it the change of food or is he sick please help i don’t want him to be uncomfortable.
I am sad to say my hamster passed away. He was cold, limp, and he made noises as if in pain. We held him to keep him warm to make sure it wasnt hibernation, with no improvement. The slightest movement made him cry out. After about an hour of my mother and I holding and comforting him, he stretched out his entire body in slow motion, opened his eyes. Then he ceased to breathe. Does anyone know what this unfortunate illness was?
Hi,
I bought two Russian dwarf hamsters a little under a week ago.
At first they were both inquisitive. One of them was really exploratory, and after two days I decided to see if she would let me hold her.
I was very delicate at first, as these are my first pets and I didnt want to hurt her. After a while she made a leap of faith and landed on the floor. She ran under my bed for about half an hour before I finally caught her in a paper roll tube.
Since then, her curious nature is gone. All she does is get up once a day to get more bedding so she can build herself into her home. She doesn’t wake when I stroke her back, or when I offer her food. She doesnt wake when the other girly does, or go on the wheel anymore (which she loved previously). I am very worried. She is not responsive to almost anything. If I put my hand in the cage she will sniff in and carry on about her business. Despite this, she sleeps. all day everyday. I know she is only 8 weeks old, but have i scared her so much she is sad, or ill, or too afraid to move? (It has been about 4 days now)
Please help,
I just want to see her happy!
Hamsters sleep a lot and their natural sleep wake cycle is opposite of ours. So observing your hamster sleep a lot during the day is not a big concern. Give her some time to adjust and build your bond with her slowly.
Hi my drawf hamster he is acting very strange he is only about 1 years old maybe alittle older so he is having trouble moving and can’t keep his eyes open and is very weak so wont eat much also is breathing very hard i dont know what to do
Mine too. He’s breathing slowly and I don’t think that he will make it.
Same she is in a little ball and she is breathing heavy but at a normal pace and she isn’t opening her eyes
Most likely he’s just getting old
My hamster fur is yellow Is there a problem or is it just urine?
My hamster fur is yellowish. Is there a problem or is it just urine? Thks
My hamster is about 2 1/5 and she limps around all the time. She still eats on a daily bases but she doesn’t drink much! Her nose is always runny. She wakes up at about 7 AM every day should I be concerned. Her name is vanilla and she is my best friend. She nibbles me a lot and ask kind of grumpy is this supposed to happen.
She could have a cold or just be getting old. Try raising the temperature in the room her cage is in and make her comfortable by adding additional bedding.
My hamster used to be very active but she got lost for two days in the house and since then she doesn’t eat or drink or even come out to play I am worried if she is sick or just lonely if you think you know what could be the matter please reply
It is really difficult to say if there is an issue. Does she display any other signs of an illness?
Hi, my syrian hamster is fine yesterday but she did fell of a stool which is like 30-40cm high…this morning when my mom check on her she was shaking and cold…she didnt eat the snack my mom gave her which she usually would..she can barely walk..my mom feed her water which she drank and some bread…usually in winter she behaves this way and once she ate she would go back to normal..but this time she just stays like that..even when shes sleeping shes shaking…do you think her leg is broken?
It’s hard to tell. She might have broken bones or internal injuries. She might also just be a little traumatized from the fall. Only a vet would know for sure. In regards to the shaking due to winter temperatures, try moving the cage to a warmer area of your home or at least provide more fluffy bedding. I recommend calling a vet about the fall.
My ash fell of off my bed and just brushed it off but he stares at me then at my foxy the pirate doll then at me but its only my fox doll is he k
Me my brother and my sister recently got tree hamsters one each me and my sister got female one but we have them separate in our rooms when I got mine she was gentle and calm and never bit me now she has stated to bite and chew on the bars is this normal my brother and sisters hamsters were doing this when we got them oh and my brothers hamster is a male
And it bottem is an elongated shape is this normal because I’m very worried of u could get back to me i would really apreciate it thank you
Do the hamsters have adequate cages to run around and do you have play options for them. biting the bars can be limited if you provide more chew toys. Here are a few post that might also help you. handling hamsters and hamster behavior
Hi I have this male Syrian hamster I got him for Christmas he has been fine since then but tonight he escaped and went under my bed I got him out slowly and saftly but when I put him back in his cage I have him some food and he just snatched it really quickly .he did it quicker than he usually does should I be worried or was he just SCARED ……… Thanks
Please tell me I don’t want him to be scared
He is probably just on edge from his ordeal. Give him some time to relax and he should bounce back to normal.
Thank you that worked
Hi,
Today I woke up to find my syrian hanging off the bars of her cage, with her eyes wide open and she wasn’t moving and It didn’t look as though she was breathing. At the first shake she didn’t move, then after shaking her the second time she started moving, however was acting sleepy but after 10 minutes she was back to her normal self. I am unsure how long she was there for. Had she just fallen asleep while climbing in the night or may something be wrong?
That is odd behavior for certain. Was it stuck or just hanging on?
My very lively hamster had an unknown accident where she lost a toe, she’s been to the vets already & nothing can be done other than antibiotics, today is only the second day of antibiotics but she is constantly sleeping, not eating, drinking or playing only waking up when I need to give her antibiotics, is this normal behaviour for being on antibiotics or should I contact the vet?
I would contact the vet just to be safe.
If she lost a toe it may be from eating clumsily my magma list three just from eating (I watched her do it once)
I have a male Syrian hamster, he lives alone and he is shaking. I believe he is sniffing a lot but I’m no sure, I’m not seeing anything bad like red or swollen eyes, nose, or hands. And it looks like he has a scab it a dry patch on his nose, then again. It’s not red and his nose is dry, should I get medical attention or do you think he’s fine?
Never mind, it’s morning and it disappeared.
Is he eating and drinking?
Hiya I’ve got a normal hamster and I’ve had him for 2 years, I checked on him earlier to give him water and food because he has clean water and food everyday and when I checked in him he was under the stairs of his cage and he was curled up in a ball, I picked him up and he couldn’t open both of his eyes, it was like as if he just wanted to curl up In a ball so I tried to put him on his legs but he wouldn’t and I got really scared as he’s not normally like this he was fine last night but I got really worried and I’m just wondering if he is either getting old or about to die?? please reply
You might want to consult at vet and perhaps get some medication. He is getting old though and unfortunately hamster only live for a few years. Make sure the cage is warm and try to make your hamster as comfortable as possible.
My hamster is new, he sleeps a lot even at night. I don’t know if he’s sneezing or what but I think he is. And idk what hunched back look like, he was sleepy all the time and today he just got really hyper and run really really fast. How do I know what sneezing and hunched back are like? And is there something wrong that’s he suddenly got so hyper?
My Chinese dwarf hamster has a big lump under her tail like butt area I’m highly concernd she didn’t have it when I bought her 3 months ago and over time it keeps growing I don’t know if I should get her some meds or take her to the vet please help.. Thank you
Are you certain it is a female? Males Chinese dwarfs tend to have boy parts as you have described
I had female teddy bear hamster she had an little bit bleeding in his vaginal part but she acts normal .it is an issue or not pls tell me what to do
That all depends on the cause? It is hard to say if it is an issue or not. If she is normal again, I wouldn’t be overly concerned.
I just got my hamster 3 days ago. I held him on the first day because he was pretty calm. But then the secound night I had him he was sleeping AT NIGHT! Is that okay? I read somthing and it said that since he was moved to a new home that he has to have a new sleeping schedule. What should I do?
So my hamster doesn’t drink his water and when he opens his month it looks like he bleeding..is this normal??
Hi I have a robot hamster I got him a week before and he was fine,but now he doesn’t use his wheel and also sleeps so much(at night too).
Is it because of it not getting that much light(because we keep him near the bed there isn’t that much light there its a bit dark)
So i had this male Syrian hamster about 3 days ago. I observed his fur is quite different from my sister’s hamster. His fur is like unkempt and untidy not like is whats on other pictures in google. Is he sick? Im really worried about my little buddy. Any response or suggestions? Please ASAP :/
So i had this male Syrian hamster about 3 days ago. I observed his fur is quite different from my sister’s hamster. His fur is like unkempt and untidy not like is whats on other pictures in google. Is he sick? Im really worried about my little buddy. Any response or suggestions? Please ASAP :/
Hello. I’ve adopted two Campbell dwarves lately ( one male and one female) they’re about 1 1/2 months old when I adopted them. When they arrived they are really active. But now that they have been with me for about a month or so, the male starts to like sleep a lot. During the day and also during the night. They have a big cage but he likes to sleep in one corner or under their toys. While the female is very active. The male still eats but he is not that active as the female tho.
Hello, we got this Dwarf hamster 2 weeks ago, it was very happy playing and eating, sometimes we take him out of the cage and he would play with us, but one day all of the sudden, 10 min after we put him back we noticed he was eating and such but suddenly we realized he was lying down upside down, we noticed something is wrong because he was not moving we did not know if he was choked on food or what, but no symptoms prior to that. we gave water try to see maybe water will do something, he drunk some water from us but then made sudden movements and finally within 10 min or so died. We were wandering what happened it could not be a sickness or anything else, because it happened all of the sudden. Thanks in advance
We have the same issue. We got a Syrian make hamster 2 weeks ago for my daughter. He has been playful, eats and drinks well. Today all of a sudden he started slowing down tithe point we thought he was dead. Then he started slowly moving again and breathing after a minute or so. So we put him back in the cage and he is lying barely breathing. Any advice is appreciated. My daughter is pretty upset
Hello,
I have a Robo Hamster and her tail is bright red with blood. At first, I thought it was wet tail, but then I found out that she still pees and poops normally. After noticing that, I looked at the blood more and realized that it was only on her tail! Any thoughts??
Hi, my hamster is currently critically ill and recently started having yellowish liquid coming out from her nostrils. Two months ago she had a respiratory infection and after medication was administered completely, she became down with diarrhoea for about 3 weeks up till now. She was still quite active yesterday despite still required to be force fed since 2 months ago, but today she became completely still and refuses to open her mouth for feeding nor move at all. Could anyone please help and also tell me why there is yellowish liquid constantly oozing out from her nose? Please help! ><
-Rina-
I got my Syrian hamster 6 months ago,about a week ago she had diarrhea for two days only ,but she slept all the time ,no appetite ,she did not want to drink water ,only chamomile.She is so week when she walking ,she is taking some food to her cheeks,but barely eats it.I gave her for two days water with salt and sugar with eyedropper little by little,she was like a little better,but today I cleaned her cage and she does not to want to drink either water or other fluids,stays in her nest and sleeps.I have exotic vet so far away ,but I still thinking about visit ,but I am worry about that she will be in stress during travel to the vet….I was hoping she will start to eat and drink so she will get well …
Hello My sons hamster seems to be drinking a lot and has gone off of his food. Keeps waking up and drinking and then going back to sleep. Not so active and stays in his bed a lot. Do you think we need to take him to the vets?
He might still be eating. Sometimes hamsters hide their food. If that isn’t the case, try switching up the food (see this post). The hamster might be more active at night so the sleeping might not be an issue.
My hamster keeps spitting chewed up food back into his food bowl is something wrong?
My hamster has a huge red bump in her chest. What do I do? She is a robo hamster . She is a female if you need to know. She’s been acting normal but she just has an injury. I need to know the symptom.
bumps can be several things. You can look at this post on lumps and bumps. You might also want to consult a vet since the bumps is huge. It might need to be drained or need antibiotics.
My hamster has the same thing but she is a Chinese drawf hamster, how do i get rid of it?
Hi I got a golden Syrian hamster for Christmas and when I got it he was fine he eats drinks and sleeps properly but in the day he is in his bed all day well not all day but most of the day and comes out at night and plays oon his wheel and his chew toys and eats and drinks and he cleans himself he looks fine and enjoys playing is there anything I should be worried about
Hi, i need to know if my dwarf is sick or bored or misses the scent of my Syrian, My Chinese dwarf has been scratching his wheel and by that I mean the way hamsters move their bedding to do there Buisness or their just digging for the fun of it but my dwarf has been doing that in his wheel, he obviously doesn’t do his Buisness in there but he just acts like he’s digging but on his wheel? Help? My Syrian died 4 months ago, I doubt he misses him but if that is what’s wrong with my dwarf, then how do u think I should deal with it? Thanks.
It’s hard to say if that is an issue of not. It might be nothing or it could be a sign of boredom.
Okay thanks I’ll see what I can do for him
How do know that they are having an seize and all my doing is something not right with her